Sampling device



Oct. 24, 1939. A. T. DAHLsTRoM SAMPLING DEVICE Filed Sept. 25, 1937 II 'lill INVENTOR. //an 7.' a/7/5/rom BY ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT orties SAMPLING DEVICE Allan T. Dahlstrom, San Leandro, Calif.

Application September 25, 1937, Serial No. 165,737

4 Claims.

' This invention relates generally to devices for taking measured samples of various liquids.

Suchk devices can be used to advantage in the dairy industry, for taking proportional samples of milk.

Objects of the invention can be outlined as follows: To provide a sampling device which will afford a wide range of adjustment with respect to the size ofsample, without however involving the use of cumbersome or complicated structures; to provide such a device in the form of a compact portable unit, a part of which is merely dipped into a body of liquid, in taking a sample; to afford an arrangement of parts which can be readily cleaned and sterilized; to provide a novel arrangement of parts facilitating'the discharge of a sample, after the same.

has been taken; and to afford a simple but effective indicating means suitable for setting the device for various sizes of samples.

, Additional objectsy and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, in cross-section, illustrating a sampling device incorporating the present invention Fig. 2 isa plan view of the indicator scale, incorporated with the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view, showing a development of the valve member, incorporated withvthe device.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the graduated scales applied to the rotary indicating disc, and which forms apart of the indicating means.

f Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional detail, taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The device as illustrated in the drawing consists of a container I0, which is normally retained in upright position. Secured along one side of this container Ill, there is a metal shell II, the lower end of which extends somewhat below the bottom I2 of the container I0. While the specific form of these parts may vary, it is convenient to form them cylindrical shaped, as shown-in Fig- 5. The interior of the container I0`is in communication with the interior of shell I I, through the vertical extending slot I3.

Fitted within the cylindrical bore, aiorded by shell II, there is a cylindrically shaped valve member I4. The side walls of the valve member I4 are shown provided with a substantially helicoidally formed slotor port I6, which when developed in a at plane, can be formed as shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 3 a portion of the slot I3 is shown in dotted lines, to illustrate the manner in which this slot cooperates with the port I6. Note that for a position such as shown in Fig. 1, and illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3, the portions of the port which are in registry, form an opening II through which liquid may OW into or out of the container IU. The lower edge Ilia, of the port I6, forms a Weir for the open- 10 ing I'I, over which liquid from the container II) may flow until the level of liquid in this container has reached a predetermined height with respect-to the bottom oi the container.

Valve member I4 can be adjusted angularly 15 about its axis, in order to adjust the device to take samples of diierent sizes. The container I0 can also be shifted in a longitudinal direction relative to valve member I4 between two lmiting positions, in one of which the lower end p0r 20 tion of the longitudinal slot I3 is unobstructed to permit free discharge of liquid from the container I0, and in the other of which the only communication between container Il] and the interior of valve member I4, is through an upper 25 portion of the slot I3 and the registering portion of port I6. Such changes in the Setting of the valve member i4 are made through means which can be manipulated by an operator, from the exterior of the tank or vessel from which 30 the sample is being taken In the embodiment illustrated the parts described above are carried by an upper structure or body 2D, which is provided with a simple handle 2|. A rod 22 has its lower end connected to 35, the upper end of the container I0, as indicated at 23, and has its upper end slidably mounted in the body v2li. A small linger engaging member or trigger-shaped element 24, is secured to the rod 22, in juxtaposition to the handle 2l, so that it 40, can be engaged by a nger of the operator, and pulled upwardly to elevate rod 22, together with the sampling container i0. A compression spring 25 serves to normally urge the rod 22 in a projected position, with respect to the body 2B. 45, Trigger 24 is shown accommodated in a slot 26, which in turn is formed in the lower extension 21 of the body. Note that a removable ferrule or like fitting 28 is applied to the lower end of the extension 27, to limit the downward movement 50 of rod 22. By removal of the ferrule 28 the rod E2 can be removed, together with the sampling container I0.

Another rod 29 has its lower end attached to the upperend of valve member I4, and has its up- 55 per end journalled in the body 20. Secured to the rod 29 in the general locality of the handle 2l, there is a knurled knob 3l, by means of which the angular setting of the rod 29 can be adjusted.

In order to aiTord indicating means to facilitate the accurate setting of rod 29 and valve member I4, the upper end of body 20 is formed to afford a at circular housing 32. This housing accommodates a disc 33, which is secured to the upper end of shaft 29. The upper face of disc 33 is provided with a series of graduations, such as those shown in Fig. 4, and is disposed immediately below the disc 34, the peripheral edge of which is secured to thehousing 32. The stationary disc vor cover 34 is shown provided with windows identied by letters A, B, C and D, through which the various scales on the inner disc 33, can be viewed. Also additional graduations are shown on the face of the covering disc 34, adjacent the various windows, to cooperate with the respective scales on disc 33.

Operation of the device described above can now be outlined as follows: The operator grips the handle 2| and lowers the sampling container I into a vessel or tank from which the sample is to be taken, while the sampling container is in generally upright position. While the sampling container is being lowered into the body of liquid, the operator permits the trigger 24 to remain in substantially released position, as shown in Fig. 1,

whereby liquid entering through opening I provided by shell I I, may flow directly into the lower portion of container I0 below the lower end oi the valve member I4 and through the lower end portion of slot I3. 'Ihus while the container ID is being lowered into the liquid, the liquid tends to surge upwardly through the container. After the container I0 has been immersed to a proper position below the level of the liquid, the operator elevates trigger 24 with respect to handle 2 I, and such elevation causes relative longitudinal shifting movement between the shell I I and the valve member I4. For the limiting position between these parts, which is then assumed, the lower end portion of slot E3 is closed by thelower end of the valve member I4, but an upper or intermediate portion of slot I3 is now in registry with a portion of the helicoidal port I6. The operator now lifts the device from the container or vessel from which the sample is being taken, taking care to maintain the sampling container Il) in substantially upright position, and to retain the trigger 24 elevated with respect to the handle 2l. As the container IB is lifted above the surface of the body of liquid, a certain amount of the liquid within this container flows back through the opening formed by the registration of slot I3 with port I6, until a liquid level within this container I0 is reached, dependent upon the angular setting of the valve member I4. To discharge the sample thus obtained, the operator simply releases trigger 24, thus permitting the parts to return to the relative positions shown in Fig. 1, with the result that the sample previously trapped within the container Ill can now iiow downwardly through the lower end portion of slot I3, and through opening I 5l.

It will be evident that the device described above is of extreme simplicity, and makes use of a minimum number of working parts. The parts which dip into the liquid can be readily taken apart for cleaning and sterilizing. Such a device is well adapted for taking samples of milk in proportion to the quantity of milk being collected at a given point over a given period of time of say twenty-four hours. For example with the graduations illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, the device can be set by an operator to take samples proportional to the amounts of milk being collected from a given source per day, by reference to the different scales A, B, C and D. It will be 4evident that different graduations cn be adopted, depending upon the type of service to which the device is to be employed.

I claim:

l. In a sampling device, a container adapted to be immersed in upright position into a body of liquid, a handle, means serving to connect the handle with said container, means associated with the container forming an adjustable overiiow weir for the same, said container being shiftable relative to said last means between two limiting positions, in one of which the container may be lled to a denite pre-determined level with a sample of liquid, and in the other of which the bottom of the container is vented for discharge of liquid, means associated with the handle for effecting adjustments of said first-mentioned means, and means likewise associated with the handle for effecting relative shifting between said container and said member between said two limiting positions.

2. In a sampling device for liquids, a container adapted to be immersed in a body of liquid in upright position, there being a vertically extending slot formed in one side wall of the container and extending to the bottom of the container, a substantially cylindrical shaped shell secured to one side of said container and communicating with said container through said slot, a substantially cylindrical shaped valve member slidably and rotatably fitted within said shell, said valve member being provided with a spirally disposed port, means for shifting the shell longitudinally relative to the valve member between two limiting positions, in one of which the lower end portion of said slot is unobstructed by the valve member to permit free discharge and ingress of liquid, and in the other of which the lower portion of the slot is closed by the valve member and in which the port forms an overiiow weir for the container, and means for adjusting the angular position of the valvemember to vary the height of the overiiow Weir formed by the port.

3.v In a sampling device for liquids, a container adapted to be immersed in upright position in a body of liquid, there being a vertically extending slot formed in one side wall of the container and extending to the bottom of the container, a substantially cylindrical shaped shell secured to one side of said container and communicating with said container through said slot, a substantially cylindrical shaped valve member slidably and rotatably tted within said shell, the periphery of said valve, member being provided with a spirally disposed port, a handle, a rod having its one end rotatably carried by the handle and having its other end connected to the upper end of said valve` member, means likewise associated with the handle for effecting relative shifting movement of the shell longitiudinally with respect to the valve member, between two limiting positions, in one of which the lower end portion of said slot is unobstructed by the valve member to permit free discharge and ingress of liquid, and in the other of which the lower portion of rthe slot is closed by the valve member and the port forms an overflow weir for the container, and means secured to the upper end portion of said rod, in juxtaposition to the handle, to enable turning movement of said rod with accompanying turning movement of said valve member.

4. In a sampling device for liquids, a container adapted to be immersed in a body of liquid in upright position, there being a vertically extending slot formed in one side wall of the container and extending to the bottom of the container, a substantially cylindrical shaped shell secured to one side of the container and communicating with said container through said slot, a substantially cylindrical shaped valve member slidably and rotatably fitted within said shell, said valve member being provided with a spirally disposed port forming an overilow weir for the container, the height of the overflow weir with respect to the lower end of the container being varied by changing the angular positioning of said valve member, the shell being capable of longitudinal shifting movement relative to the valve member between two limiting positions, in one of which the lower end portion of said slot is unobstructed by the valve member to permit free discharge and ingress of liquid, and in the other of which the lower portion `of the slot is closed by the valve member and the port forms an overflow Weir for the container, a handle, a rod having its upper end journalled with respect to the handle and having its other end secured to one end of the valve member, and another member extending parallel to said rod, said last member having its lower end secured to the container and having its upper end slidably carried by the handle, and means engageable by the finger oi an operator for sliding said last named member relative to the handle, whereby said valve member is shifted between said two positions.

ALLAN T. DAHLSTROM. 

